Tate Britain

Today was a lovely and relaxed Sunday.  I finished a paper for my Marketing course this morning and then decided to spend the afternoon taking in some wonderful pieces of art at the Tate Britain. 

The Tate Britain houses the world's largest collection of British art from the 16th to the 21st century.  All of the pieces that are found at the Tate Modern, which I visited during January, used to be housed in the Tate Britain but were moved when the collection grew too large for the available space.

I began my visit by viewing the exhibits focused on British art from 1880-1960.  I enjoyed reading the short write-up on the history of the art or on the featured artist as I entered each room. In this first section, my favorite piece was John Singer Sargent's painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. I loved this piece because it was so colorful and vibrant and the girls in the painting were so life-like.  I thought the portrayal of the light given off by the lanterns was spectacular too.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

After this area of the museum, I went through a section devoted to modern art as well as a special exhibit based on the idea of form in sculpture.

One of the main reasons that I was so interested in visiting this museum in the first place is the fact that it has an entire gallery devoted to Joseph Mallord William Turner.  He has quickly become one of my favorite artists throughout my time in England.  His distinctive style of painting is truly breathtaking because of the colors and fluid brush strokes.  Also, his portrayals of landscapes, sea, and sky are some of the best that I have ever seen.  I have come to love seeking out his works at each museum that I visit.  Because of this, I couldn't wait to see the area of the museum called the Clore Gallery.

During my visit, they had a special exhibit called Romantics which showcased many paintings by J.M.W. Turner and others British artists in the Clore Gallery. The display is described as revealing "the imagination and innovations of a generation defined by belief in creative freedom, rather than tradition or style."  I loved reading about the inspiration of many of the artists for the works and about the curator's goals with the exhibit. Here are a few of my favorites from this display:

J.M.W. Turner's unfinished painting Sun Setting Over a Lake (If it is this amazing unfinished I can't even imagine what the final product would have looked like!)

Harvest Home, Sunset: The Last Load by John Linnell (The clouds and landscape are so beautiful and detailed.)



Heidelberg by J.M.W. Turner (Simply Turner just doing what he does best.)



Richard Westall's The Reconciliation of Helen and Paris after his Defeat by Menelaus (A very pretty composition.)

After looking around this exhibit I went up to a special display dedicated to the methods of J.M.W. Turner.  In these rooms, I learned that in Turner's time reproductions of prints were produced by professional engravers who specialized in translating the effects of color in paintings into black lines.  The examples of these black and white prints were so intricate and exact!  It is amazing to think of the progress that we have made since that time.  Today we can easily scan and copy paintings in a heartbeat.  Additionally, I learned that Turner made over 40 different sketching tours of Britain and mainland Europe to look for inspiration for his works.  From these sketches, he would discern specific color palettes, styles of architecture, and composition designs for each location around Europe.  It was very fascinating to learn more about an artist whom I have come to admire greatly.